Nerds Cereal 🥣

The colorfully unusual cereal that is worth remembering.

In the whimsical realm of breakfast cereals, one particular gem from the past that holds a special place in my heart is Nerds Cereal. Transport yourself back to the vibrant era of the 1980s, and you'll find this delightful creation that brought the beloved candy into the realm of breakfast indulgence. It was a stroke of genius by the masterminds behind the confectionery world, the Willy Wonkas of the cereal and pet food aisles, Ralston.

The theming on the packaging was wonderful. Picture yourself perusing the cereal aisle, and there it is—a box adorned with colorful Nerds characters, enticing you with promises of a whimsical morning adventure. You close in on the box and that’s when you notice the split design! You are drawn in, and now you need to know what’s inside. How do they deliver TWO separate flavors in one box??

Nerds Cereal was an enchanting collaboration between the Ralston Company and the Wonka Candy Company. Drawing inspiration from the iconic candy, the cereal featured four flavors, aptly named Orange, Cherry, Grape, and Strawberry. The fun thing is, you didn’t just need to pick one. Instead, each box came with two individually packaged flavors. So you could have either Orange & Cherry or Strawberry & Grape.

This innovation, which mirrored the way the candy was sold, led to a wonderful premium, the Nerd Cereal Gate Bowl. This clever vessel, consisted of two sections that were separated by a wall with a gate. So if you chose, you could eat your two flavors separately, enjoying the individual fruit flavor. Or you could open up the gate and allow the two flavors to merge, creating a sweet breakfast cereal fantasia.

I liked to eat the cereal separately, only opening the gate when only the milks were left. What remained, when combined, was a sweet milky mixture that got my heart racing and would send me back to the cereal cabinet to repeat the process over again.

The bowls are rare and hard to replace, but someone 3D printed a bowl as a novelty. This is not food safe, but it is cool and illustrates how the bowl worked.

My bowl is long gone. A victim of overzealous placement in the dishwasher that warped and wrecked the plastic. Sadly, I haven’t been able to find a replacement, but it wasn’t the only Nerds-themed cereal premium. A bike reflector premium with the nerds on it shows up from time to time, as does a Two-Handled Mug, a Nerd Grabber, and Nerd Fruit Scented Markers.

Those were the more permanent things you could get from Nerds Cereal, but what attracted me to them at first was the offer of free Nerds candy. In marked boxes, you could get free small packages of Cherry Cola or Rainbow-flavored Nerds. They might have been more of a sample size, if memory serves me correct, but free candy is free candy. Rainbow was the better flavor.

New Nerd Flavors and New Nerds Cereal Coming Soon!

Just like the candy it was based on, Nerds Cereal was a feast for both the eyes and the taste buds. The cereal itself consisted of small, crunchy nuggets, resembling the candy's signature texture. As you poured the cereal into your bowl, it was as if a cascade of vibrant, sugary pebbles tumbled down, ready to deliver a burst of flavor with every bite.

Much like its candy counterpart, Nerds Cereal embraced its role as a boldly flavored delight. Each spoonful was a symphony of sweet and surprisingly tangy notes that danced upon your taste buds. You do not find many cereals that embrace tanginess the way Nerds did, and maybe some people didn’t like it, but I was hooked.

The strong flavor was matched by the vivid color of the cereal. While I don’t believe it was the type of coloring meant to give a color to your milk, I think it did, especially the red flavors. For me as a kid, this just extended the treat. Now I just didn’t have milk. It has been transformed into a tangy magical elixir. One that I savored.

This color was something to see, but it was also controversial. Almost immediately after the cereal was released, news stories started to appear about a “Nerds Cereal Overdose.” According to a few articles online, a five-year-old “went a little crazy” and finished an entire box of Nerds Cereal. The food coloring used in Nerds isn’t absorbed by the body, so the child passed the red and orange coloring when they went to the bathroom. The boy’s mother, not making the connection to the cereal, rushed to the doctor thinking the kid was bleeding internally.

Nerds Cereal came out of the gate with a roar. Advertising ran in newspapers, magazines, and television. Each medium putting the adorable Nerd characters front and center. Reminding us that if we loved the candy phenomenon, we are also going to love the cereal.

The TV commercial, with its catchy throwback jingle and cute animation, is especially memorable.

They also sent out a ton of coupons. Usually for 25 to 50 cents off. You apply that discount to the average price of a box of Nerds Cereal, which was between $2 and $2.50, and you were typically paying $1.50 to $2 per box. Which wasn’t a bad deal.

Nerds Cereal became an instant hit, captivating the hearts and palates of young cereal enthusiasts far and wide. It was the kind of cereal that elicited childlike wonder because of its close resemblance to its namesake candy.

Sadly, like many now nostalgic treasures, Nerds Cereal eventually disappeared from store shelves around 1988, leaving behind a trail of delicious memories. Its brief but indelible presence at the breakfast table remains a testament to its enduring charm. Even to this day, those who were fortunate enough to taste its magic reminisce about the joy it brought to their mornings.

While the chances of Nerds Cereal making a triumphant return seem slim, the memory of its vibrant colors, intense flavors, and imaginative spirit lives on. So, raise your spoon in a toast to Nerds Cereal—a whimsical creation that tickled our taste buds, transformed milk into liquid rainbows, and made breakfast an adventure worth savoring.